Throughout the eight years of her husband's presidency, Michelle Obama wore her hair relaxed, straightened and blown out as First Lady. We've seen her sport the pin-straight lob, the pulled-back updos and wavy tresses, but we've never seen her hair in its natural state—until now.

A photo of the former FLOTUS in her natural curls recently surfaced on Twitter:

It's unclear when the photo was taken―it looks like it could've been snapped during the Obama's recent vacation—but that didn't stop people from reacting to the look online. The praise isn't unwarranted, either. For a former First Lady to embrace her textured hair in a time where black women can be discriminated against for not conforming to "traditional beauty standards" is a big deal.

Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now. 

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